


one of the good things

by kingofghosting



Category: Archive 81 (Podcast)
Genre: Idk what to tag this as, Internal Monologue, M/M, No Plot, Pining, Podcast, Trans Male Character, Wisps, hand holding, underrated ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25535785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingofghosting/pseuds/kingofghosting
Summary: Trusting someone does not mean falling deeply in love with them, you dipshit.
Relationships: Dan Powell/Rat
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	one of the good things

Trust is something you have to hold onto, even in the darkest moments of your life. Even after someone can tear your walls down, you have the choice of continuing to trust them.

That’s the way it was for Dan when he thought about Rat. Suit constantly asked him why he trusted Rat, why he didn’t seem to mind the company of the thing that made him into a monster. At first, Dan didn’t have a straight answer for it. He knew that Rat cared for him, always seeing him to bed and making sure that he was taking care of himself, but it was hard to tell if it was because Dan was Rat’s “creation” or if it was because Rat genuinely cared about him. 

Eventually, as life at the outpost grew more dangerous, Dan decided to trust Rat. Rat had never intentionally hurt him (well, not after the surgery, at least) and that was something that was hard to find in The City. Something that didn’t hurt you, something that didn’t want to kill you. Rat was the first person to stand for Dan when someone made a comment about how Dan was a “walking boombox” or some creative insult that Cynthia came up with. Or, he at least  _ tried  _ to stand for Dan. Cynthia’s scary.

After Rat had shown Dan around the outpost, the wisp room was somewhere that Dan could actually think. He liked the game room, but the PS2 can only have so many glitches before Dan gets frustrated and wants to throw the controller at the old TV. So after a particularly draining tape, Dan found himself auto-piloting toward the song of the wisps.

He didn’t expect to open the door and find Rat inside, sitting on the ground and humming to their song. Rat quickly stopped what he was doing and turned, waving to him.

“Daniel Powell! What a pleasant surprise. Come and sit!”

Being called his full name was something he had grown used to, although it was a bit strange. He introduces himself as “daniel powell” so it only makes sense for people to call him that exactly. But it still felt weird, like he was in trouble for something.

“Are you alright? Your mannerisms do not seem as lively as they have in previous encounters. Are you getting enough rest, Daniel Powell?”

“Yeah, I’m well-rested, Rat. I just… listened to a tape, and it took a lot of my energy. Playing them isn’t exactly a fun thing to do.” Dan stood beside where Rat sat, staring at the dancing wisps.

“Oh, yes, I’m very sure it isn’t a pleasant experience at all. I am sorry I didn’t quite consider the pain factors when I made your new flesh. However, on the bright side, you can get so much more done! Think about all the positives. You can call Lou and Clara whenever you wish, and you can gain all the information you desire! I think that your body is very beautiful. A quote I remember hearing a lot is ‘Beauty is pain’ or something. It sounds quite self destructive and not very helpful, but it does make sense of your situation quite nicely.” 

Rat was very talkative. That was never something that bothered Dan, not really, but it did slightly get on his nerves. The way he just would go on and on about things Dan really didn’t care about. The way he gestured wildly with his hands when he talked, not paying attention to how close they stood. The way his eyes lit up with passion when he talked about his creations, the way he smiled when Dan asked questions--

What?? No. Stop! 

_ Trusting someone does not mean falling deeply in love with them, you dipshit. Besides, it’s Rat’s fault that you’re one-third tape recorder.  _

But it  _ wasn’t  _ Rat’s fault. He did it because LMG told him to, and he wanted to help. That’s his thing, helping people. That’s why Suit is the way she is, and why Dan is part machine. It sucked, being the way they are. But Dan can see that Rat has the best intentions. He’s not selfish or careless like some of the other people Dan’s had the displeasure of knowing. He’s just… awkward, and he doesn’t know how to properly communicate. Dan can understand that one.

“Isn’t their song beautiful, Daniel Powell?”

Dan was pulled from the clouds, and looked at the other. “Actually, Rat… Can you just, I don’t know… This is dumb, nevermind.”

“No, it’s not dumb. Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me! Well, unless it includes breaking company policy. Then you should not tell me, because then I might have to tell the authorities, and I  _ really  _ don’t like talking to them.”

“It doesn’t have to do with breaking policies, Rat.”

“Oh, good! Then please, tell me what is on your mind.”

“Well, I was just going to ask… Could you maybe call me Dan? Instead of Daniel Powell? It’s just… It’s kind of weird, you know?”

“I do not know. I didn’t have a name until you decided to call me Rat!”  _ That was not a decision I made.  _ “But, I do understand the importance of a nickname. It makes me incredibly happy when you call me Rat, so I understand if you want to be called Dan. If that is what makes you happy, I will!”

Dan feels a little less stupid about his question. “Ok. Cool. Thanks.”

They sit in silence for a while, just listening to the wisps. Dan finds himself sitting down beside Rat, staring up at the things that reminded him so much of earth. He had never seen an aurora borealis in person, but they were cool to look at online. Looking at one, or what was very similar to one, with his own eyes was an entirely different experience. He slowly reached up with his new arm, letting a wisp come down and dance around his fingers. The nerves were still very strange and sensitive, but the tingling feeling was pleasant. He heard shuffling beside him, looking to see Rat mirroring his movement and sticking his hand to the sky. His eyes were closed, light reflecting softly off his glasses. Dan felt his breath catch on nothing, staring at the serenity on the others face. 

Eventually Dan closed his own eyes too, focusing on the feeling on his hand. He’s trying to adapt to the new flesh, despite how much he resents the part of his body that constantly clicks and whirs. He moved his free hand that was placed in his lap to the floor in an attempt to balance his strange weight evenly. Instead, his free hand found Rat’s, gently clasping over it. Dan didn’t jerk away, or flinch, or apologize. He just allowed it to happen, humming softly to the wisp’s song. Under his hand, Dan felt Rat’s move to lock fingers together. His skin was softer than Dan would have expected. He felt his soul warm up to the feeling of contact, remembering that he hadn’t felt touch with another person since Tanya. I mean, yeah, Rat poked and prodded at his ‘creation,’ but that was really just him helping Dan when he was in pain. Nothing in Dan’s time at the outpost had been so… intimate.

“Dan? Are you feeling alright? Your face is quite red, even in the dark.”

Apparently the warmth in his soul was also his cheeks and blood and blush. Great, perfect, amazing. Oh god, he’s panicking. He tries to move his hand away, but feels Rat gently squeeze in an attempt of reassurance. Dan looks at their hands and then to Rat, expression woven into a mixture of worry and curiosity. Dan turns back to the wisps, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Rat lets him.

“I’m glad you like it here, Dan. Well, I know you don’t like it here, as in the outpost, but I’m glad you like it in this room. It’s the only good thing in this horrible world of terrors.”

“I don’t think it’s the  _ only  _ good thing, Rat.” 

Rat turned to look at Dan, tilting his head. “What else could there be that’s more wonderful than this?”

Dan didn’t break eye contact with the wisps. “You.”


End file.
